Wangmang - revolutionary Emperor or antihero? (45 B.C.-23 A.D.)

In the history Wangmang always remains a usuper. In the modern time, although historians noticed his certain positive aspects and confirm his intention of the reform, the plots and the hypocrisy became his definitive attributes. It is rare to find in the history a sovereign as him who killed his dynasty by the reforms.

After the destruction of Wangmang, at the beginning of the dynasty of the West Han dynasty, except for the History of Han of Bangu from whom the Biography of Wangmang obtained the official approval, the other historic data were completely destroyed. Fortunately this biography is detailed enough.

Towards the end of the dynasty of West Han, the successive emperors were extremely decadent. Since the aunt of Wangmang, Wang Zhengjun became the queen, all the family of Wang took the posts high-ranking. The power of the clan of Wang reaches the summit. Wangmang was a sort of Prime Minister which controls everything. The emperor Han Ping Di, arrived at the throne at the age of 9, was only a simple puppet of Wangmang. From then on Wangmang, having authorization, gain the friendship of the intellectuals and the big owners by giving small services; connect with the high-ranking servants and with the noble persons.

Once he judged that the moment is convenient, he poisoned the emperor. He made Ru Ziying the emperor (6-8 A.D.) and he names himself the " False emperor ". Three years later, getting impatient, he seized the power and based the dynasty of Xin, which means a new dynasty (9-23 A.D.).

In front of the social crisis, from the beginning of its administration, to avoid conflicts between the classes, Wangmang resumes the former system of Zhou Li ( The Rites of Zhou) and declares the practice of the reform.

All the cultivable fields are called " fields of Wang ", are forbidden to buy back or to resell. According to the former system to distribute fields in the form of well ( 9 equal parts), if there are less than eight men in the same family which possesses furthermore that half of the field, her has to give the ground too to the close relations, to the neighbours or to the municipality. A couple without ground can benefit from it. The domestics became "private property", forbidden also to acquire or to resell. Not only the biblical agrarian system of Wang did not solve social problems, but contained the farmers who became the slaves in the " fields of Wang ". Instead of liberating the domestics, the system to possess them became established and becomes custom.

Wangmang exercised the monetary reform repeatedly. With so many naming and so many materials, the use of the shells of tortoise and the shells, among others, caused a chaos financially grave and the inflation. Every monetary reform gives an occasion to the clan of Wang to plunder; a big quantity of gold and silver entered its pocket.

The creation of " five standards and six controls " becomes another excuse to his clan to exploit the people. The salt, the alcohol and the iron objects are become monopolies by the State. It is them who are in charge of markets, prices and credits, there are taxes on all the professions and the domains. And these civil servants of the controls grew rich, the people, impoverished.

Besides, Wangmang changes from day to day the titles of the functions and the cities. The abuse of reward or punishment, made which some people, in the endless wait of reward, have to work as domestics to live and some, become dishonest, accept the bribe.

The impoverished farmers, once who violent the law of Xin (New law) became official slaves. The number of prisoners sent to the hard labours to Chang An achieve hundred thousand!

During his administration he provoked deliberately wars against the tribes of the northeast and the southeast, which oblige the people to be engaged and to give the materials. While the people sink into an infernal situation, he spends without counting the money exploited from the people for new constructions of temples. As pretext of example of the previous emperors, he made select of numerous girls to his palace to satisfy his sexual need.

Such a failure for its reforms, which returned the social crisis the most dramatic, drive finally to its destruction by the uprising of the farmers.